Book Review: The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns

I had the absolute please of meeting Rachael Johns this year at the Riverina Readers Festival. At the time, Rachael was preparing for the release of her next novel, The Lucky Sisters, and after hearing her talk about it I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. The lovely team at Penguin sent a copy to me after Rachael agreed to chat to me as part of my Canberra Writers Festival taster series on Instagram (you can see our chat here). The Lucky Sisters actually came out the same week as the Canberra Writers Festival and it was so lovely to hear Rachael talk about it to readers! Read on below the synopsis for my thoughts.

What is Rachael Johns’ The Lucky Sisters about?

What would you do if you thought each day on earth might just be your last?

Lucky by name. Not so lucky by nature.

Adopted twins Nora and Stevie Lucky have always been close, despite being total opposites.
When their mother dies, Nora convinces Stevie to search for their biological parents, only to come face-to-face with a life-changing revelation that sends them spiralling in opposite directions.

With their careers, love lives and even their sisterly bond at risk, they’re going to need more than luck to survive.

My review of The Lucky Sisters

I really enjoyed The Lucky Sisters! I feel like Rachael is really a master of tackling some really deep and moving topics, in a way that is sensitive and relatable, and maintains a bit of humour as well. I thought seeing things unfold from both sisters’ points of view with kind of an omniscient narrator worked really well to draw the reader into the narrative and shine a light on the sibling relationship – we really get to see how the women are the same and different from each other, as well as when they have supported, kept secrets, or felt let down by the others. I thought this really added to the relatability and made me think about how I would react in some of the same situations.

I think readers of Rachael’s previous novels are going to enjoy this one, and if you haven’t read anything by her before but enjoy contemporary “women’s fiction” this would be a great place to start. The story and its characters are layered and have a depth that made me feel like I was spending time with actual people. I laughed out loud a few times and had a little cry (or two!) as well – it was one of those reads where I was a bit sad when I got to the end and it was time to say goodbye!

I’d love to know in the comments if you’ve read this one, or have a favourite to recommend from Rachael’s backlist!

Big thanks to the team at Penguin for sending me an early copy!

xo Bron

***

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns
Out now from Penguin Books Australia
Source: I received an early copy for review from Penguin Books Australia (thank you!)
Category: Australian Contemporary Women’s Fiction